My Only Exception
by akaiiko
Summary: "It's a love story." Because Sasuke is complicated, Naruto is determined, Sakura is too smart, Suigetsu can't keep his mouth shut, Juugo is a Disney Princess in disguise, and Karin is the most awesomest girl ever. –NaruSasu; College!AU-
1. part i

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Naruto.

**WARNINGS (Chapters May Contain): **extensive cussing, homosexual relationships, somewhat graphic homosexual sex, mentions of cutting, mentions of past nonconsensual pedophilia

**Pairings:** NaruSasu, SuiKa, KakaSaku, (noncon/past) OroSasu

**Notes:** Check out the warnings/pairings for possible squickies you might get. If you feel pretty squick proof, then ignore. Despite the warnings/pairing squick thing, this is actually a pretty light hearted…okay, it's a Slice of Life, Expanded. It's light and it's heavy and it's funny and it's angsty and it defies rational thought. Fuck yeah.

* * *

**My Only Exception**

_part I_

* * *

It's snowing when they meet. It's also cold, and slushy, and dark, and windy when they meet. It's on Main Street of their tiny college town, but that counts for squat because the streetlights are all out from a fallen power line three blocks away and anyway all the pretty Christmas lights are already down because it's January and nobody is quite tacky enough to leave their Christmas lights up longer than permissible. All of that falls secondary though. It's not as poetic, you see. It sounds better to say that it's snowing when they meet than to say that it was a fucking miserable day in the middle of January when they meet.

Uzumaki Naruto is looking in a dark store window, hands stuffed deep into the pockets of his obnoxious orange coat and nose scrunched up with either distaste or confusion. He scowls, and rocks back on his (also obnoxiously orange) Converse clad heels, and then sighs very very very deeply like the weight of the world is on his shoulders.

Uchiha Sasuke is looking at Uzumaki Naruto, long artistmusiciancreator fingers clad in black cotton fingerless gloves tapping against his thigh and lower lip caught between his teeth. He tilts his head, and narrows his darkbluealmostblack eyes in confusion and interest, and then he breathes in very very very deeply like he's not sure he's going to get enough oxygen.

This is where the story starts. More stories should start like it.

* * *

Sasuke feels like a fucking creeper, hiding in the shadows like he is. If one calls the "shadows" the bus stop that goes from town back to the university. It's out of the line of sight, anyway, and even if it was in the line of sight Sasuke looks enough like a shadow himself that he probably wouldn't be seen anyway. But the thought of Uzumaki Naruto, _Naruto_, looking over and maybe catching sight of his too too pale skin against the too too dark of his haireyesclothesheart makes him freeze with horror and maybe just a little guilt. He shoves some of his inky dark hair behind one ear that's so cold that it's numb and looks down at the ground.

The wet, slushy, concrete ground. The wet, slushy, concrete ground which is so fucking boring compared to Naruto.

The temptation to peek at Naruto again grows. By centimeters. Tiny, tiny centimeters. (Or big, big meters, if he's being honest.) Distraction would be welcome. Anything to look at, to focus on, to pay attention to other that Naruto or this stupid fucking ground.

His cell buzzes in his pocket. He could be the type to send up prayers of thanks or maybe just a quiet hallelujah, but he's not, so Sasuke just pulls his cell out and flips it open. There are a series of texts from Karin.

_where the duck are you, sasuke?_

_it was fuck not duck_

_stupid censoring phone autocorrect_

_I hate spellcheck_

_duck you spellcheck_

_fuck you doubly spellcheck_

_burn in heeeeell_

Sasuke smirks at the So Typically Karin. His thumb pauses above the tiny cell keypad, quivering to unleash some snappy, sarcastic remark that will make her snicker. But, unwillingly unconsciously unsurely, he glances out of the corner of his eye at the oblivious blond still staring into that store window like it holds the key to the whole damn universe. Almost without thinking about it (at least not consciously, definitely) he flips his phone closed and stores it back in his pocket.

The bus isn't coming for another five minutes at least. Sasuke tries to gather up what passes as his courage. Most of it is utterly, completely fake and he knows it. But he does it anyway. He does it and he stuffs his hands into his hoodie pockets and he draws himself up to his full and impressive height of five eleven and he tries to get his feet to start moving in the vague general direction of fucking-star-on-earth-barely-contained-in-skin Uzumaki Naruto.

It doesn't work. He's stuck, frozen, cold and dark and shadowed and so afraid of the light. Sasuke wants to growl out expletives but his vocal cords are strung tight with too much adrenaline so all that will come out is a soft little whimper whine. His heart is the only thing that's working right, going so hard and fast and painful that it feels like it might just have to give out soon.

And then, then then then _then, _Naruto turns his head. His blue eyed gaze alights on Sasuke and it is all over. All over because Naruto _smiles_. He smiles like a little kid, too much teeth and too much happy. It's stupid and it's strange and it's actually kind of beautiful enough to make Sasuke's heart skip a beat or six. This is the type of smile that saves people's lives.

(It's going to save Sasuke, but he doesn't know that yet.)

Sasuke smiles back, a little. It a small, secretive curl at the corners of his mouth―the boy Mona Lisa. He sort of looks like a little boy too, the little shy mysterious intelligent snobby boy who nobody knows but everybody wants to and suddenly he's smiling at you and you have no idea why but you really suddenly realize that you'll do anything at all to keep that soft little smile there on his pink chapped lips and Naruto's feeling that, feeling this inexplicable stupid need to touchprotectsave the little Mona Lisa boy and his little Mona Lisa smile.

(But Sasuke doesn't know that, either.)

The smile and the feeling. It's all the invitation that one Uzumaki Naruto needs to come sauntering over, secrets-of-the-universe-holding-store-window apparently forgotten. "Hey," he says as he comes to a stop about a foot from Sasuke. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto."

Sasuke swallows a little and says, "Uchiha Sasuke." He wants to say more, but all he can think is "oh fucking God oh fucking God oh _fucking_ God" which isn't really appropriate to repeat aloud.

Naruto grins easily and runs one huge callused hand through his wild blond hair. "Yeah, not to sound creepy but I've heard of you. That genius kid that all the girls were wild about freshman year."

A blush suffuses Sasuke's cheeks. Like he needs a reminder of that horrible, horrible year when he was stalked by what seemed like but couldn't possibly have been the entire female student body. Like he needs to know that the only reason that Uzumaki Naruto knows about him is because he was a heartthrob. Fuck. "Hn," he says, looking away into the street.

"Heh," Naruto says, sounding smug. Sasuke thinks for one horrified moment that Naruto is going to make a snarky comment about the fangirls or the blush, and that Sasuke is going to have to punch him for being such a douche, and this will all be over before Sasuke'd even had a chance to let it start and well goddamn. But Naruto doesn't say anything, instead apparently waiting for Sasuke to talk.

So Sasuke, rather than risking Naruto maybe getting fed up with waiting enough to actually start teasing, says, "Well, they're gone now."

"Yeah, they are. After the whole…" Naruto waves one hand vaguely, like he can encompass the whole incident sophomore year when it came out that Sasuke is asexual. (But that is before Naruto, and Sasuke is maybe more Narutosexual now than asexual, which is a disturbing thought all on its own because Sasuke so does not do sex or romance or anything like that.) Finally Naruto stop waving his hand, apparently feeling that Sasuke has gotten the point. "Yeah. So humor me. What the fuck is Uchiha Sasuke, prodigy genius and martial artist doing watching me on a shitty day in the middle of January?"

"I'm not stalking you," Sasuke says defensively before he can even really process what Naruto had asked.

Naruto laughs loudly. Sasuke's blush deepens but his hearts flutters. He likesadoresloves Naruto's laugh. But he doesn't like the feeling that Naruto is probably laughing at him instead of "with" him. "Right, not stalking me. What were you doing then?" Naruto asks, all congenial nicety and not at all smug except in the slight crinkling around the corners of his eyes like he's physically holding back the smugness.

Sasuke vaguely gestures down the street toward the town's tiny used book store. "Shut up, moron. I was at the book shop. I got really distracted and I missed the bus l was supposed to take originally. What were _you_ doing here?" He scowls and shoves some more hair behind his ear.

"Oh, you know," Naruto says easily, grinning beatifically at Sasuke. "Stuff." Which is probably _the _lamest answer ever, and Sasuke is getting ready to say so when his phone buzzes in his pocket insistently.

With a low groan, Sasuke pulls his cell out, knowing that he needs to reply now or Karin is going to do something drastic. Sure enough, there is a text awaiting him that says quite succinctly: _get your ears ass on the phone or I do something drastic. _Ah Karin, he really does love her.

"Who's that?" Naruto asks softly.

Sasuke shrugs. "Karin," he answers, even though Naruto probably has no clue who 'Karin' is. Either way, Naruto nods amiably, like he does know and that it's Karin has explained everything. Strange strange boy man creature, this Uzumaki Naruto.

(So what does it say about Sasuke that he's madly in love with the other boy? Probably nothing good, that's for sure.)

"You gonna call her or something?" Naruto's eyes get all crinkly around the corners as he smiles this really cheeky, foxy, mischievous smile that'd better suit a ten year old with their hand caught in a cookie jar than a twenty year old college student with their hands safely ensconced in their pockets.

"I guess," Sasuke says noncommittally. His eyes keep betraying him, dragging his gaze from the safe ground or sky or buildings to stare at that kind of crooked but kind of beautiful smirk smile on Naruto's lips. Chapped lips, cracked and split and peeling a little because of course Naruto is the type to chew on his lips and Sasuke should have guessed. Unappealing lips, really, a little on the thin side even if they weren't already mangled. Sasuke should not want to kiss those lips.

The phone buzzes again. Sasuke looks down at the screen dully. _final warning sasuke -.- _Giving up, Sasuke punches in the correct speed dial and hold his phone up to his ear. It only rings twice before Karin picks up.

"Sasuke!"

He winces a little and holds the phone a bit further from his ear. Naruto clearly didn't miss that movement, because he snickers and the foxy smirk smile widens and becomes more of a smirk than a smile. Sasuke makes a half hearted threatening gesture at Naruto, but it doesn't have much heat behind it.

"Yeah, Karin?" He says calmly enough, all things considered.

"Don't you 'yeah, Karin' me, Sasuke. You were supposed to meet us here an hour ago," Karin snaps. "An hour. Hour. As in, a period of sixty minutes. As in, a long time. As in, the _fuck_?" Karin's on a roll, now. Sasuke probably could've headed this whole mess off if he'd just answered her first text. But he didn't, and now it's too late, and it's only going to go downhill from here.

Sasuke sighs and rubs at the bridge of his nose. "Karin…" he starts. Hope for fending off Karin, after all, springs eternal.

"Oh no. The only way you are getting out of this one, Sasuke, is if you skipped out on us because you met the love of your life." This is said is a very, very, very sarcastic manner. Because Sasuke is asexual, and everyone knows that if he had any interest in girls he'd be with Karin.

"Hah, fat chance of that," comes Suigetsu's mocking voice. He must be listening over Karin's shoulder. And, well, everyone knows that if Sasuke had any interest in boys he'd be with Suigetsu. Or Juugo, maybe.

The fact is, they're not going to believe him if he says that he really did just meet the love of his life. But he'll say it anyway. The shock alone might be enough to shut them up.

"As it happens, I did," Sasuke says calmly. He's waiting for that to sink in when his phone abruptly leaves his grasp.

Sasuke gapes in horror as Naruto holds Sasuke's phone up to his own tan ear, smirk smirk smirking with moutheyesfacesoul. "Yeah, hey. You must be Karin. Uzumaki Naruto number one most surprisingly awesome college student here. I'm going to steal Sasuke for the afternoon. Kay thanks, bye." He hangs up the phone then, but Sasuke can hear Karin's disbelieving shriek right before the call cuts off.

"Um…" Sasuke says. He seriously cannot think of a single better thing to say.

"Heh," Naruto says, looking immensely please with himself. "Now come on, I'm stealing you." He grabs Sasuke's hand and starts tugging him down the sidewalk. "We'll go get coffee or something."

"I-idiot!" Sasuke yelps, trying to take his hand back. Naruto laughs long and loud and bright, and Sasuke's heart stutters to a stop before starting up double-time. The double-time heartbeat doesn't do much except add more blood to the capillaries in Sasuke's cheeks which translates to brighter darker noticable-er blushing which isn't good at all.

Then Naruto looks back at Sasuke, his fingers tangle with Sasuke's, and he says, "Whatever you say, Sasuke." and Sasuke kind of sort of falls in love.

* * *

Karin stares down at her cell in shock, nose wrinkling up in a way that would be unattractive on pretty much anyone else. She can feel Suigetsu's jaw pressing against her shoulder and his chest slumping against her back, and for once she cannot muster the will to call him a dumbfuck while beating him with the nearest available object for invading her personal space. Hell, she even slumps back into him a little, just for the support of his solid swimmer body.

"I…" Karin starts. "He…" she tries again. But that's about all she can manage, and Suigetsu nods dumbly in agreement, his sharp, bony jaw line pushing against her shoulder with the movement. She winces and smacks his nearest appendage (an arm, as it were) weakly. "Ow," she says.

"Yeah," Suigetsu says, instead of nodding again and possibly risking Karin's wrath. Not that Karin's wrath is particularly awe inspiring at the moment. "Juu?" he says after a moment. Karin looks over at Juugo, whom she had almost forgot was there despite his huge presence.

Across the table, Juugo watches them calmly. His over large hands are folded on the table. Unlike Karin and Suigetsu, Juugo manages to be the picture of demure, unruffled calm. The creep. "Yes?" Juugo says cheerfully.

Karin groans loudly enough that a few patrons of the coffee shop they're in actually turn to look at her. She doesn't care. Instead, she brandishes her phone at Juugo. "Juugo, Sasuke is on a date. With Uzumaki Naruto. King of the Idiots and the Losers and the Brawn Over Brains and the Other People Sasuke Can't Stand Ever Under Any Circumstances."

"That's nice," Juugo says. Karin blinks several times. "I've always thought Sasuke might have something for Uzumaki. They work well together, I believe." There are about six beats of silence before Juugo stirs some sugar into his coffee, takes a sip, and then holds up a little packet of sugar to Karin, "Sugar?"


	2. part ii

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Naruto.

**Notes:** I didn't get a lot of reviews, but the reviews I got meant a lot. Mwah, I less than three you all. Also, I revised the warnings in the first chapter to make more sense. This story also got considerably shorter than it was originally planned to be. That's because…well, I didn't have more to say. That said, I'm not sure just _how_ long it'll actually be. Maybe around six chapters?

* * *

**My Only Exception**

_part II_

* * *

Sasuke stares at Naruto.

Okay, yes, if he were honest with himself (which he isn't ever because Uchiha's just do not _do _honesty about feelings ever, under any circumstance, especially if the circumstance involves pathetic lovesick staring at an unrequited crush, because fyi, Uchiha's also just do not _do _unrequited crushes) he always stares at Naruto. But this time he actually has a valid reason for his staring. No, it wouldn't hold up in court, but…oh, fuck it. Sasuke is staring at Naruto, and he's going to keep staring come hell or high water, so just shut up and let him do it.

Naruto is not staring back at Sasuke. He is in fact staring at the menu, scrawled in green and pink and blue and yellow chalk across a massive chalkboard hanging on the wall behind the big wooden counter of the coffee shop. He's focusing awfully hard, considering that the chalk writing is fairly legible and all. Probably, Sasuke thinks somewhat humorlessly, he's trying to figure out what Sasuke'd like.

Stupid challenges and Sasuke will probably hate whatever Naruto gets him because either the idiot will try to find something good for Sasuke which will end in tears or the idiot will try to find something horrible for Sasuke which will end in a fistfight most likely. Either way this is going to end badly, so really Sasuke should just stand up and walk out of this coffee shop right now before this has a chance to go wrong.

He's about to, really he is, reaching for his coat hung on the back of the rickety trendy wooden chair that he's sitting on. But then, of course, Naruto turns around about halfway, a contemplative look on his tanned face. It is the bus stop all over again, and _when _will Sasuke's heart stop with the acrobatics, it's getting fucking annoying.

A foxy grin steals across Naruto's face. That's really the only way to describe it. It's just foxy, sly as can be. The short of thing that the trickster's in every fairy story book ever have on their face as they plot their nefarious scheme. A slight shiver runs up Sasuke's spine, maybe of foreboding.

Naruto turns again and spits out a couple of orders to the rather dazed looking boy behind the counter, who punches the order into the register lazily. A girl with shiny and overly long (seriously, she should fucking cut it, and no Sasuke's opinion has _nothing _to do with the appreciative smile that Naruto gives her) blonde hair starts on the orders, whatever they are, as Naruto gives the lazy boy some cash.

Two minutes later, Naruto sits down on the rickety trendy wooden chair across from Sasuke, placing two warm drinks on the table between them. The one he pushes toward Sasuke does not smell entirely of coffee, so Sasuke knows that this whole thing really _is _doomed before it even started. Nevertheless, he dutifully picks up the warm cup and takes a small sip under Naruto's expectant gaze.

Dark chocolate, raspberry, and coffee. Rich, bittersweet, and so so so _so fucking good._

Sasuke's look probably says it all, because Naruto sits back, a smug foxy grin on his lips as he sips his own cup of coffee. He looks like the conquering hero, sure of his own victory and basking in the feeling of it all while daring his recently conquered subjects to say anything about it. Sasuke narrows his eyes slightly, but cannot bring himself to actually say anything mean. It is really, really fucking good coffee, after all.

(The fact that the price of Sasuke's silence is a cup of coffee is rather pathetic, but he doesn't dwell on this.)

"So, why were you at the bookstore?" Naruto asks congenially after a few moments of silence.

"Looking for a book," Sasuke says. He (barely) resists the urge to add 'duh' to the end of that pronouncement.

"Well, duh. It's not like they sell anything else." Naruto is apparently not nearly so refined as Sasuke. Like Sasuke really expected differently. Geeze. "What book were you looking for?" the man-boy continues, his look as assessing as it is curious. It almost puts Sasuke on edge, like he's being judged for whatever answer will come out of his mouth.

So Sasuke wants to say something intelligent, something so very far out of Naruto's league that it'll blow the other male away. Something that will forever engrave Sasuke as brilliant and lofty and other such things in Naruto's brain forever and ever. But he can't lie, not to Naruto, not even if he wanted to. (And he really kind of wants to right now.) "The Other Boleyn Girl," Sasuke mutters finally.

He dares a look up at Naruto's face after he says this. Naruto looks infinitely contemplative. When he catches Sasuke looking, though, the look turns questioning. Blond eyebrows raise, and Sasuke could commit seppuku because his brain instantly translates that little bit of motion into an entire, coherent question. And it is a question that Sasuke should probably answer, instead of staring at Naruto like a dumb struck idiot.

"Karin made me watch the movie," Sasuke begins by way of explanation. Naruto nods very slowly, as if 'Karin' explains everything, which of course it likely doesn't. "It was awful. I thought maybe the book would be better." This is a weak, weak explanation, and Sasuke knows it. Karin, the woman who started this whole mess (not really but he'll blame her anyway) would see through that in a second and start teasing him with absolutely no mercy.

"The book was better than the movie," Naruto says with a shrug, like it's no big deal. "The author stayed closer to historical accuracy instead of being all Desperate Housewives Takes Renaissance Faire." He then takes a swig of his coffee and appears to have dismissed the matter entirely.

A hot flush makes its way over Sasuke's cheeks, and he curses his ancestors for giving him pale skin that shows such things. Naruto could be bright red right now and Sasuke would probably never know due to the dark hue of the other's skin. Sasuke, on the other hand, is always obvious when he blushes because he's just so damn pale.

Sasuke squirms in his seat uncomfortably. With each swallow Naruto takes, his throat moves temptingly. The lines of his neck, sharp defined paths of tendons and muscle, stand out more clearly. Naruto has a wonderful neck, really. Sasuke could (and more shamefully, would) worship that neck in ways nearly pornographic save for the fact they're in a public place, Naruto is supposedly mostly straight, and Sasuke is…well, Sasuke. Sasuke does not molest _anyone's_ neck, much less the neck of Naruto Uzumaki.

"Is something wrong?" Naruto asks. Sasuke's eyes flick back up to Naruto's face and he squirms in his seat some more, embarrassment kicking up a few notches with the fact that he was caught. "You look really uncomfortable."

"Tch," Sasuke mutters as he looks away. He can feel a blush starting up in his pale cheeks, and for the first time since ever he curses the porcelain pale Uchiha skin he was born with, notably the fact that blushes show up on it with the same sort of tenacity that it would show up on a redhead. He reaches up and rubs at one cheek ineffectually, as if he can just rub the blush off, before realizing that the action will probably just draw Naruto's attention to that thrice damned blush, so he stops rubbing and drops his hand into his lap abruptly. "It's nothing," he says, jutting his chin out in a defiant way that dares Naruto say one damn thing.

Naruto shrugs a little and then leans forward. His elbows rest upon the scarred wood of the table and his hands fold into loose fists that he props his chin upon. The strange white scars on his tan cheeks stretch oddly as his chapped lips tilt into a smile that is surprisingly gentle and contained for someone like him. "You sure, Sasuke?"

The blush makes itself known, seemingly more defiant for the fact Sasuke had tried to suppress it. There's something about the way that Naruto says his name that makes Sasuke feel like the world is tilting on it's axis. "Not really," Sasuke says thoughtlessly, too caught up in the fact that he's blushing and Naruto says his name in this beautiful sort of way.

"Oh?"

"Um…" Sasuke's brain catches up with his mouth, but it's a little bit too late. Besides, Sasuke is beginning to realize that he doesn't like lying to Naruto, doesn't like hiding away like some sort of criminal or more like hiding away like an Uchiha. He doesn't like wearing his mask around this boy, because the mask cracks anyway, pottery left out too long in a too strong sun. He thinks too that as Naruto looks at him, surprisingly patient while waiting for Sasuke to say something, that Naruto is the sort of person who sees through masks anyway. More than that, he's the type who doesn't care what's behind that mask, or rather he does care, cares a lot, but in that fierce protective kind of way that is about saving people instead of breaking them.

And what the fuck is in Sasuke's coffee that he's thinking this shit?

"Hey, look, I know this must be kind of awkward for you," Naruto says. "I mean, it's not like we know each other well or anything. I wouldn't say we know each other at all really. And Sakura says I come on really strong. Bu you look lonely and I don't think that I should leave you looking lonely, you know?"

No, in fact, Sasuke does not know. Furthermore, this means that whatever is in his coffee is also likely in Naruto's, because who says that kind of stuff out loud? (At least Sasuke was controlling himself, keeping those words on the inside where no one except him could marvel at the stupidity…)

A dreadfully earnest look comes to Naruto's face and he leans forward further, one strong forearm bumping into his own coffee cup though he apparently doesn't notice. "Look, Sasuke, I know about you, and I've seen you around. You always look so sad, even when you're happy. But when I saw you today, by that bus stop, you gave me this look that was actually almost genuinely happy, and I'm going to do what I can to keep that look around."

* * *

"D'you think I should try to call him again?" Karin asks as they leave the diner. She doesn't need to prefix who 'he' is, of course. They've all been running over what the hell is going on with Sasuke for the past half hour. Well, except Juugo. Juugo seems generally okay with the whole mess, which disturbs Karin a bit more that she'd like to admit. If Juugo is thinking things are fine, then they probably _are _fine, which means that Sasuke…

Suigetsu reaches over and gently wraps his long pale fingers around Karin's wrist, squeezing ever so slightly in mute reassurance. "Yeah, call him. We can go rescue him from the idiot while we're still in town," he says. He looks about as worried as Karin sounds, which is to say, not very. But they both know each other well enough to tell that they're both freaking out on the inside.

Karin is freaking out more because she was really Sasuke's _friend _before anyone else, the first one to burrow into the cold place that was Sasuke's heart and start warming it up little by little. She considers herself Sasuke's _best friend_, despite the absolute shit they put each other through. And so she worries because if Sasuke is flirting with Naruto, then he is basically flirting with getting his heart broken. Not to mention, Sasuke is so far out of Naruto's league, the idiot can't even begin to imagine.

"You're right, for once. Sasuke's probably losing brain cells as we speak," Karin says.

Juugo, who had walked out ahead of them, pauses in his ambling gate. He turns about halfway and looks back, his orange eyebrows raised into a questioning expression. "Karin, do you really think that's the best idea?"

"What? Why wouldn't it be?" Karin snaps, immediately going on the offensive as she is prone to doing.

"What if Sasuke is happy?" Juugo asks softly, his tone prodding.

Karin wonders if Juugo knows something she doesn't. The thought disturbs her more than she'd like to admit.

* * *

It's still snowing when they amble out of the coffee shop. Sasuke looks down as he tugs on his gloves again to ward off the chill. He can feel Naruto's eyes on his bowed head. It's an unnerving feeling, to have someone so focused on you like that, is what Sasuke decides.

Naruto's words from barely half an hour earlier are still bouncing around in Sasuke's skull. _"Actually almost genuinely happy." _Does Naruto even realize that Sasuke is horribly head over heels in love with him, that Naruto is the one who really makes him smile all dorky and dopey? Does he realize that sometimes Sasuke just watches him move because it's the most beautiful thing in the whole entire world?

Of course not, but then again there is the finishing part of Naruto's grand speech and that hints that maybe Naruto will stick around. Sasuke's not sure if he can handle that or if it will consume him alive to be around someone so bright all the time. (Consume him or make him blossom.)

Suddenly a hand comes into Sasuke's line of vision. He distantly notes that Naruto's hands are callused heavily and scored with white scars. The fingernails are neatly trimmed but his cuticles are ragged. That hand is a distinct opposite of Sasuke's own pale, unscarred, neatly kept hands. That one hand, the one invading his line of sight, takes a hold of one of Sasuke's gloved hands and tangles their fingers together. Sasuke goes from distant to glaringly aware in a matter of seconds, his heart thudding in his ribcage and his breathing fluttering along like a little bird trying to take flight. His dark eyes stare disbelievingly at the sight before him, the unrelenting hold of two hands.

The heat from Naruto's ungloved hand slowly seeps through Sasuke's glove. It's comforting and he almost wishes that he was not wearing gloves so he could feel the rasp of Naruto's calluses against the more delicate skin of the top of his hand.

Ever so slowly Sasuke looks up, dragging his gaze up and up and up a centimeter at a time until he finally meets the blueblueblue_blue _gaze of Naruto. There is barely an inch or two of height difference between them, if that, but in this moment Sasuke feels smaller than Naruto by a lot. Because Naruto looks solid and secure in himself while Sasuke feels like if a strong wind were to come along at this very minute he'd probably just fall right over. Damn Naruto for doing this to him, for invading his life and his personal bubble and giving him delicious coffee and for making half promises about saving Sasuke or at least Sasuke's smile.

Sasuke doesn't need saving he promises, he really does, except he'll let Naruto save him because he wants Naruto, he really does, he really really really truly does, more than anything else in the world, more than he even wants to be a proper Uchiha and he's wanted that far longer than he's known of Naruto's existence in this world. But who cares, Naruto's beautiful and he's looking at Sasuke in this moment like maybe Sasuke is beautiful too. That's enough.


End file.
